Control apparatus.



I K. A. SINMON & A. J. HALL.

CONTROL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION .HLED APR.6,1914.

PatentedApr. 2, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY K. A. SIMMON & A. J. HALL. CONTROL APPARATUS. APPLICATLON men mus, 1914.

1,261,169. 1 Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

I 2 SHEETS-$HEET 2.

WITNESSES: NVENTORS ATTORNEY STATES OFFICE.

KARL A. sIMMo N AND ARTHUR J. HALL, on WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGN- ons To WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING ooMrANY, A CORPORA- TION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTROL APPARATUS.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

Application filed April 6, 1914. Serial No. 830,095.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, KARL A. SIMMQN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of WVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and ARTHUR J. HALL, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of vVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Control Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to control apparatus for dynamo-electric machines, and it has special reference to the construction and operation of liquid rheostats.

The object of our invention is to provide simple and inexpensive means for effecting the concurrent operation of a plurality of liquid rheostats and to provide means for remotely controlling the operation of the rheostats.

A further object of our invention is to provide fluid-operated means for concurrently actuating a plurality of movable members respectively associated with a plurality of rheostats, and to make provision for electrically controlling the action of said fluid-means.

When a plurality of polyphase induction motors are employed upon an electrical vehicle 0r locomotive for the purpose of driving a plurality of rigidly connected driving Wheels, it is desirable to control the operation of the driving motors through the agency of liquid rheostats which may be connected into the secondary circuits of the motors. By reason of the driving connect-ions between the several driving wheels, it is necessary that the load upon the driving motors be divided evenly, and, hence, it is desirable to mechanically associate the movable members which determine the operation of the respective rheostats and to employ a single or common means for actuating the movable members.

In the prior art, electric locomotives have been provided with a pair of induction driving motors that are mechanically associated with the driving wheels and the operation of which is governedthrough the agency ployed and connected in the secondary cir-' cuits of both of the driving motors, and there fore, in order to obtain an equal division of the load between the respective motors, it has been necessary to mechanically locate the corresponding magnetic members of the respective motors in exactly the same phase positions. In the event of even slight inaccuracies in the phase positions of the magnetic elements, an unbalanced circulation of current is developed in the common electrolyte in which the respective sets of electrodes are immersed, and by reason thereof, an unequal division of the load results.

In the structure of our invention, a plurality of independent liquid rheostats are employed which are respectively connected into the circuits of the driving motors and are adapted to be concurrently actuated to govern the operation thereof. lVith the use of separate and electrically independent liquid rheostats, no circulating currents can be produced and the desired division of the load may be obtained without the necessity of locating the corresponding magnetic members of the driving motors in exactly the same phase posit-ions. Thus, the desired ends are attained, and a structure is provided which is simple in arrangement and location of parts and which may be assembled with facility and at comparatively small expense.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view, partially in section and partially in side elevation, of apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention, and Figs. 2 and 3 are similar views of modified forms of our invention. Fig. 1- is a view, partially in section and partially in side elevation, of a single rheostat of somewhat difierent construction to which our invention in any of its forms is applicable and Fig. 5 is a diagrannnatic view in side-elevation of an elec tric locomotive embodying our invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, the apparatus shown comprises a plurality of liquid rheostats 1 and 2, a receiving reservoir 3 associated therewith, a

mechanism a for mechanically associating certain parts of the rheostats, a common actuating device 5 for operating the mechanism a, and a device 6 for remotely controlling the operation of the actuating device 5.

The several rheostats 1 and 2 are conveniently carried upon a cab C of a locomotive L which is provided with a driving truck T. (See Fig. 5). The truck T com )rises a pair of driving axles that are provi ed with wheels XV which are rigidly connected with a pair of driving motors M and M of the induction type by means of a jack-shaft 7, interposed gearing 8 and side-rods 9. The rheostats 1 and 2 are connected in the secondary circuits of the respective driving motors M and M lVh'ile I have, for illustrative purposes, indicated the driving motors M and M as of the single phase type, such restrictions in the construction thereof are, of course, unessential and polyphase motors may equally well be employed. Moreover, the specific form of rigid mechanical connection between the two driving motors M and M and the driving wheels W may be varied, as desired.

The rheostats 1 and 2 are of like construction and may be of any type known to the art. Preferably, however, each of the rheostats 1 and 2 comprises a tank 10 having a central bottom opening 11 through which electrolyte is discharged, a telescopic valve 12 associated with the discharge opening 11 for the purpose of fixing the height or level of the electrolyte within'the tank 10, an inlet valve 11 for admitting electrolyte into said tank, and a plurality of sets of electrodes 13.

The valve 12 comprises a stationary tubular member 1%, which is secured to the side of the discharge opening 11, and a movable tubular member 15 disposed within the member 14 and adapted to be raised or lowcred in position, as hereinafter set forth.

The mechanism 1 comprises a connecting yoke member 20, a counterweight 20, and a plurality of rods 21 which are connected to the opposite ends thereof and are respectively attached to the movable members 15 of the rheostats 1 and 2.

The actuating device 5 comprises a cylinder 23 having a movable piston 24 and piston rod 25 disposed therein, the piston rod 25 being secured to the yoke member 20 at substantially its mid-point. The actuating device 5 is suitably supported in position between the several rheostats 1 and 2 and is adapted to efiect the concurrent operation thereof.

The remote-control device 6 comprises a cylinder 26 and a relatively small. pipe 27 for connecting said cylinder 26 to the cylinder 23 of the actuating device 5. The cyl inder 26 and )ipe 27 are filled with an incompressible uid, such as Water or oil, which is adapted to be forced into cylinder 23 of the actuating device 5 under the piston 24 when an operating fluid, such as compressed air or a suitable gas, is admitted n cylinder 26 above the incompressible fluid through an electrically controlled inlet valve 28. The release of compressed air or gas is effected by an electrically controlled outlet valve 29.

By reason of the peculiar arrangement of parts, it is evident that, if the inlet valve 28 is energized to admit compressed air or a suitable gas into the cylinder 26 above the incompressible fluid, said fluid is forced downwardly and through the pipe 27 to act upon the piston A of the actuating device 5 which, in turn, moves the movable valve parts 15 of the rhcostats l and 2. The several rheostats 1 and 2 are, therefore, operated concurrently, and the level of the elec trolyte in the several rheostats 1 and 2 may be fixed at any desired height.

In order to lower the electrolyte level, the release valve 29 is energized to permit the compressed air or gas within the tank 26 to escape, after which the counter weight 20 causes the piston 2a of the actuating device 5 and the several movable valve members 15 to be lowered to their initial positions. If desired, the electrically controlled valves 28 and 29 may be replaced by manually operated devices for performing the same functions.

In some cases, it may be found expedient to employ a single containing tank rather than two separate tanks, as set forth in Fig. 1, and to provide the single tank with a plurality of movable discharge valves 19, in which case, our invention may be advanta geously employed.

Referring to Fig. 2, the actuating device 5 has electrically controlled inlet and outlet valves 28 and 29 directly associated therewith and located below the movable piston 21. Such an arrangement is particularly compact and simple, although it has the disadvantage of locating the electrically controlled valves near the liquid rheostats where they may become damaged by the electrolyte. With the apparatus shown in Fig. 2, no intermediate incompressible fluid is employed, and the compressed air or gas is admitted directly into the operating cylinder 28 below the piston 24.

Reference may now be had to Fig. 3 in which the several rheostats 1 and 2 are similar in construction to those already described. The operating mechanism 5, however, is of a different type. The rods 21 are severally provided with counter weights 30 and are mechanically associated by means of cables or other flexible members 31 and 31 which cooperate with a rotatable drum 32 and with suitable guide members 33 for efiecting concurrent actuation of the movable members 15. The drum 32 is operavtivelv connected to a power-device, such as the motor 34:, by means of reduction gearing The motor 8% may be of any type known to the art and adapted for the purpose, and may, of course, be controlled, in a well-known manner, to cause the movable members 15 to be raised in position. The drum 3, 1 is provided with a pulley member 36 and a cooperating brake mechanism 37 which is associated with an electrically controlled releasing device 38. The device 38 is merely illustrative of any suitable apparatus for governing the operation of the brake mechanism 37, as will be understood.

In order to raise the members 15, the device 38 is energized and the motor 3 is caused to operate slowly in the direction indicated by the arrow, thereby rotating the drum 32 in the proper direction to effect the desired result. In order to hold the members 15 at any height, it is only necessary to deenergize the motor 32 and the releasing device 38. Thus, the brake mechanism 37 is applied and further movement is prevented. Upon the release of the brake mechanism 37, the counterweights 30 serve to return the movable parts to. their initial positions.

In Fig. 4:, we have shown a rheostat which embodies a set of movable electrodes 1% which may be raised or lowered in position to cause them to be immersed more or less in the electrolyte with which the rheostat tank is filled.

Obviously, the actuating means set forth in connection with the specific type of rheostat shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 may be applied to rheostats of the construction shown in Fig. 4 without departing from the spirit and scopeof our invention.

Other modifications in the structural details and arrangement and location of parts may be effected without materially changing the mode of operation of our invention, and we desire that only such limitations shall be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. The combination with a plurality of liquid rheostats having mechanically associated regulatable valves for fixing the height of the electrolyte, of common means for ellecting concurrent operation of said valves.

2. The combination with a plurality of liquid rheostats having mechanically connected regulatable valves for fixing the height of the electrolyte, of common electrically controlled means for concurrently actuating said valves.

3. The combination with a plurality of liquid rheostats having regulatable valves for fixing the height of the electrolyte, of means for mechanically associating said valves, and electrical means for actuating said mechanical means to effect concurrent operation of said valves.

4. The combination with a plurality of liquid rheostats having regulatable telescopic valves adapted to be raised and lowered for fixing the level of the liquid, of means attached to parts of said valves, and a single operating means cooperating therewith for actuating the valves of all of said rheostats.

5. The combination with a plurality of liquid-containing tanks having regulatable internally-disposed valves for fixing the height of the liquid, of electro-pneumatic means for operating said valves concurrently.

6. The combination with a plurality of liquid-containing tanks having regulatable valves for fixing the height of the liquid, of common fluid means for actuating said valves, and electrical means for controlling the operating or said fluid means.

7. The combination with a plurality of liquid-containing tanks having regulatable valves for fixing the height of the liquid, of common fluid-actuated means located near said tanks and mechanically associated with said regulatable valves, and remotely located means for controlling the operation of said fluid-actuated means.

8. The combination with a plurality of liquid-containing tanks severally having movable valves for fixing the levels of the liquid, and mechanical means for associating said movable valves, of means for biasing said valves to their lowest positions, and common means for concurrently actuating said mechanical means and said valves.

9. The combination with a plurality of liquid rheostats severally having movable members for effecting the operation thereof, of mechanical means for associating said movable members, and electrically controlled fluid means disposed between said rheostats and cooperating with said mechanical means for actuating said movable members concurrently.

10. The combination with a plurality of liquid raeostats severally having movable members for effecting the operation thereof, or" mechanical means for associating said movable members, an actuating device disposed between said rheostats and associated with said mechanical means and said movable members, and controllable fluid means for operating said actuating device from a remote point.

11. The combination with a plurality of liquid rheostats severally having movable members for effecting the operation thereof. an actuating device disposed between said rheostats and associated with said mechanical means and said movable members, fluidoperated means disposed at a distant point, and means embodying an incompressible 5 liquid for transmitting power from said fluid-operated means to said actuating de- VlCe.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 27th day of Main, 19M.

KARL A. SIMMON. ARTHUR J. HALL.

Witnesses:

G. R. IRWIN, B. B. HINES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Wanhington, D. C." 

